Chapter 43

Gu Liuyun frowned slightly, a silent sigh escaping his heart. He knew matters were far more complex than they appeared on the surface.

"Stop this right now." Although Gu Liuyun's voice was not loud, it carried an inherent, unangered majesty. The quarrel between the two women ceased abruptly, and they obediently stood in place.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I know you both have your own perspectives, but this is not the time to determine who wins or loses. Manman, you speak first. What exactly has Jiaojiao done that made you unhappy? Jiaojiao, the same goes for you—tell me everything about Manman that displeases you."

Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao exchanged a glance, a trace of hesitation flashing in their eyes, but eventually, they slowly began to speak, each airing her accumulated grievances.

Gu Liuyun listened patiently, nodding or frowning from time to time, trying his best to understand their respective stances.

"Actually, I really didn't think that much about it. Maybe sometimes I am a bit impulsive, but Manman, you can't always act so high and mighty, making it seem like everyone has to listen to you," Chen Jiaojiao said, her tone still tinged with a hint of gunpowder, though the intense hostility from earlier was gone.

Ye Manman sighed and nodded gently, "I know that sometimes I am too assertive and might make you feel uncomfortable. But Jiaojiao, you must also understand that we are doing this for the good of the family, not for the sake of fighting over empty fame."

Listening to their conversation, Gu Liuyun felt a sense of reassurance settling in his heart.

He knew this had been a crucial first step, but completely resolving the issue would require more time and effort.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for today." Gu Liuyun smiled slightly. Suddenly, he let out a light chuckle and said mysteriously, "Actually, I have a method to completely resolve the conflict between you two, but we will have to wait until the time is ripe."

Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao looked at each other in dismay, a flicker of curiosity and anticipation flashing in their eyes.

With a profound smile, Gu Liuyun turned and walked away from the garden, leaving the two standing there in silent contemplation.

Gu Liuyun rubbed the space between his eyebrows, feeling a mild headache coming on.

These two girls could bicker endlessly; they were far more troublesome than the inner demons he faced during his tribulation trials.

The surrounding flowers seemed to sense his helplessness, drooping lifelessly with zero vitality, as if the air itself had frozen.

He had originally intended to reason with them and appeal to their emotions, hoping they would shake hands and become affectionate sisters. Instead, it had almost turned into a bloodbath.

No, he needed a different approach.

"Stop!" Gu Liuyun suddenly barked, startling the birds in the trees into a flurry of panicked flight.

"You two stop arguing and listen to me."

Both Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao were stunned. This abrupt shift caught them completely off guard.

Just moments ago, he had been earnestly pleading for their reconciliation, so why the sudden change of face?

"I have a task for you both," Gu Liuyun said, a mysterious smile playing at the corners of his lips. "This mission requires the two of you to cooperate in order to succeed."

What?

Cooperation?

Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao exchanged bewildered glances. What game was he playing?

They couldn't stand each other; how on earth were they supposed to cooperate?

"What kind of task? Brother Liuyun, stop keeping us in suspense," Ye Manman asked, her curiosity piqued to the point that she temporarily set aside her hostility toward Chen Jiaojiao.

Chen Jiaojiao also perked up her ears, looking at Gu Liuyun with eager anticipation, waiting for his "earth-shattering secret."

Gu Liuyun paused, deliberately whetting their appetite to the utmost, before slowly saying, "Recently, the company has a project that requires promoting a new type of elixir..."

"An elixir?" the two chorused in unison, their eyes lighting up.

"Indeed, this elixir..." Gu Liuyun lowered his voice, leaning close to their ears and whispering mysteriously, "...can keep women forever youthful and prevent them from ever aging."

"Really?!" Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao widened their eyes in disbelief, their breathing growing rapid.

For women who cherished their beauty, this was an utterly irresistible temptation!

Seeing their excited expressions, Gu Liuyun nodded with satisfaction.

If this elixir could captivate them, then the matter was practically as good as done!

"I have already arranged the specifics. Tomorrow, go to the company and find Steward Lin; he will give you the detailed plan." Gu Liuyun patted both of their shoulders. "Remember, only through cooperation can this mission be accomplished."

With that, Gu Liuyun turned and left, leaving the two standing in place, exchanging complex glances.

"Hey," Chen Jiaojiao broke the silence first. "What time tomorrow?"

The next day, Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao arrived at the company punctually and located Steward Lin.

Steward Lin handed them a project proposal. The moment they read it, they were dumbfounded.

This was no promotional campaign for an elixir; it was clearly an errand-running delivery job!

"Steward Lin, are you sure there isn't some mistake? We are..." Before Ye Manman could finish, she was cut off by Chen Jiaojiao.

"Stop wasting breath, let's just get to work." Chen Jiaojiao snatched the proposal from his hand. "The sooner we finish, the sooner we're free."

Running errands was a minor issue; working alongside Ye Manman was what truly made her skin crawl.

Though resentment still simmered in their hearts, the two obediently followed the schedule outlined in the proposal and embarked on their "delivery journey."

At first, things were a bit awkward between them, but as the work progressed, they gradually began to notice each other's strengths.

Ye Manman was meticulous and could always anticipate potential problems in advance; Chen Jiaojiao was decisive and possessed extraordinarily high execution efficiency.

Complementing one another, their efficiency turned out to be astonishingly high.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office, Gu Liuyun watched the busy pair down below and smiled.

It worked!

A few days later, the two finally completed the mission.

Standing before Gu Liuyun, their faces bore traces of fatigue, but even more so, a profound sense of accomplishment.

"Brother Liuyun, we've completed it!" Ye Manman said excitedly.

"Good work," Gu Liuyun nodded. "How did it feel?"

"Not bad, actually." Chen Jiaojiao offered a rare smile. "Manman is quite reliable, truth be told."

"You're not so bad yourself," Ye Manman replied with a smile.

The two locked eyes for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward and embraced tightly.

"I'm sorry, I was in the wrong before." "Me too."

Watching this scene, Gu Liuyun felt his heart fill with gratification.

He walked up to them and gently patted their shoulders.

"There now, you are good sisters."

At the subsequent family assembly, Gu Liuyun announced further refinements to the rules governing family enterprise management and the distribution of cultivation resources.

These measures were unanimously approved by all family members, presenting a fresh facade of harmony and prosperity for the family.

Consequently, Gu Liuyun's prestige within the family rose to even greater heights.

Yet, just when everything appeared flawless, Gu Liuyun sensed a subtle anomaly.

A hidden faction seemed to be lurking in the shadows, observing the family with predatory eyes.

"Interesting..." he murmured to himself.